Meeting in the Middle, More or Less

Justin Griffiths grew up in Stamford, Conn. He had rented in various places in Fairfield County, most recently a one-bedroom at the Lockworks, a new building in Stamford’s South End. It overflowed with amenities, including his two favorites, a swimming pool and an outdoor grilling area.

But Mr. Griffiths, now 30, craved big-city life. So around two years ago, he gave up his apartment and joined a friend in a postwar rental building in Manhattan in Murray Hill. The roommates split the $3,300 monthly rent. The building had a doorman but no amenities — not even a laundry room. Mr. Griffiths walked to his office near Penn Station, where he owns a ticket agency, Center Aisle Tickets.

Amie Faigenbaum, now 29, had spent most of her life in the New Jersey suburbs. When she began working as a counselor in an elementary school in Union County, she rented her own place nearby, later moving to a two-bedroom with a high school friend. They split the rent, which was in the $1,800s, and she had a 10-minute drive to work.

Ms. Faigenbaum and Mr. Griffiths met through friends last year, and in the fall decided to find a place of their own.

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HOBOKEN, N.J.The new Artisan had a suitable one-bedroom. But it was on the expensive side, and amenities were comparatively few.CreditOzier Muhammad/The New York Times

“Amie comes along and ruins my plan, and I have to move out of the city,” Mr. Griffiths said. “I wasn’t ready for the suburban thing, and she wasn’t able to move to Manhattan” because of her job in New Jersey. So they decided to meet in the middle, hunting in and around Hoboken, N.J.

The couple wanted a one-bedroom with a washer-dryer and a parking spot. When Ms. Faigenbaum drove into the city to visit Mr. Griffiths, she scheduled her trips around street parking, which was prohibited until 7 p.m.

They planned to adopt a dog, so they looked only at dog-friendly buildings. “When I lived in the city I was never home enough, because why stay home?” Mr. Griffiths said. But in New Jersey, “I knew we would be able to care for a dog better.”

The couple intended to keep their rent, including parking costs, below $2,500 a month.

Both liked the Artisan in Hoboken, a complex that opened last fall. One-bedrooms there started at almost $2,500 a month, with parking for $225 a month. But with only a gym, a lounge and a courtyard, the amenities were fewer than they had hoped.

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JERSEY CITYThe Beacon was loaded with amenities, including a swimming? pool. But the neighborhood didn’t seem up to snuff.CreditOzier Muhammad/The New York Times

In the city, Mr. Griffiths hadn’t cared about amenities, he said. But now, moving to New Jersey, he preferred to hold out for a pool.

At the Beacon, a new building in Jersey City, one-bedrooms started at $2,000 a month, with parking at $225 a month. The amenities were ample, but the neighborhood seemed dreary and lacking in stores and restaurants.

A condo in a converted Gothic-style school called Adams Square in Hoboken was for rent for $2,300 a month. The couple decided they wanted a newer and bigger building, and passed it by.

For months, they had been keeping an eye on the Estuary, which was rising on the waterfront in Weehawken (and generating complaints for obstructing the panoramic view of Manhattan from the Lincoln Tunnel helix). Judging by the website, it was going to be just what they wanted, with amenities including a pool, an outdoor “barbecue lounge” and a dog run. In early January, a sign advertising the Estuary appeared on the building, a reminder to the couple every time they drove past.

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HOBOKENA converted school called Adams Square had its charms. But the prospective renters preferred new construction.CreditOzier Muhammad/The New York Times

But they were facing the expiration of Mr. Griffiths’s lease and did not know if the building would open in time. They emailed the leasing office frequently. “There was some anxiety there because they said, ‘This got delayed, that got delayed, we’re not sure,’ ” Ms. Faigenbaum said.

One month later, she was at last able to tour the building; Mr. Griffiths was unavailable. She liked what she saw. “I was picking something I hoped we would both agree on,” she said. He is an avid golfer, so she mentioned the golf simulator.

“I don’t know that I actually heard anything else that she said,” Mr. Griffiths said. His response was quick: “O.K., I’ll have it.”

The couple arrived with the first group of tenants early last spring on the day after Mr. Griffiths’s lease expired. Their one-bedroom, which has a washer-dryer, rents for $2,310 a month, which includes $150 for parking in the building’s garage. The amenity fee is $750.

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WEEHAWKENThe Estuary, a freshly minted building overlooking the Hudson River, had the requisite amenities. Now to get a dog.CreditOzier Muhammad/The New York Times

They soon adopted a rescue puppy, Bunker. Bunker upped the bill to a nonrefundable one-time fee of $500 plus $50 a month for pet rent — tariffs common in the area’s rental buildings.

The pup took some time to adjust, barking often when left alone and when he heard construction noise or passers-by in the hallway. The management warned the couple that the barking would have to stop. They experimented with techniques and soon resolved the problem.

Now, “the funny thing is that almost 80 percent of our floor has dogs, and it’s awesome,” Mr. Griffiths said. Bunker’s best canine friend, a labradoodle named Brooklyn, lives just down the hall. “If we go off to dinner we drop the dog off to them, or they will drop the dog off to us.”

Ms. Faigenbaum enjoys her less suburban existence. “It definitely is a complete change in lifestyle,” she said. “Where I was coming from, you drove anywhere and really relied on your car. Commute-wise, I was expecting the worst.” Her morning drive takes up to an hour in traffic, but the trip home is around 25 minutes.

The bus trip for Mr. Griffiths, through the Lincoln Tunnel, sometimes takes seven minutes and sometimes an hour.

The golf simulator is on their floor. “Living in the city took a lot of golf away from me,” Mr. Griffiths said. He has used the simulator alone and with friends. “It measures your ball distance and speed. It’s pretty accurate and pretty awesome.”